ABSTRACT
The years 161–166 saw a major war between Rome and the Parthians, which was followed by violent invasions of German tribes in the middle Danube region. From 161 to 180 the empire was ruled by the emperor Marcus Aurelius, a philosopher and intellectual on the throne but also a good general and administrator. In the third century most Germanic invaders were organised in bands of warriors who wanted to enrich themselves and enhance their status, but some groups seem to have taken their families with them. Between 324 and 330 Constantine built a new capital, Constantinople, on the site of the old Greek colony Byzantium at the Bosporus. Rome caused them a lot of problems; in late antiquity the city was a restless place where riots frequently broke out. The 150 years following Constantine’s reign can be seen as a transitional period, the incubation period of the Middle Ages.
